"There's no sense of time in the mountains. We've been here for five days, right?" Chu Shaoling closed the Buddhist scripture in his hand, placed it on the small table beside the soft couch, and pulled Wei Ji over. "You're so focused on reading the scriptures."

Wei Ji closed the book and yawned. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's been exactly five days. Does Your Highness want to go back?"

Chu Shaoling shook his head and chuckled, "I'm not in a hurry. You, on the other hand, are quite at ease and have calmed your mind to catch up with that bell-ringing monk."

Unlike Chu Shaoling who went through the motions every day, Wei Ji took this trip to sincerely worship Buddha. He woke up early to watch the monks attend morning lessons, then went to kneel and recite scriptures. When he returned to the room at noon to rest, he would still read Buddhist teachings. Wei Ji had a pure mind and could really immerse himself in it. When he explained it to Chu Shaoling, there was some reasoning, but Chu Shaoling's mind was filled with too many past events and he couldn't listen at all.

Chu Shaoling was bored and teased Wei Ji, asking him to tell interesting stories from the scriptures he read. Wei Ji was holding the Mahayana Tripitaka, so he told the story of the nine-colored deer. Before he finished, Chu Shaoling laughed, "This nine-colored deer is too careless. Since it knows its fur is precious, why bother saving people and telling them not to tell others? Humans are greedy, how can they keep their word?"

Wei Ji heard this and said solemnly, "I don't think so. The nine-colored deer appeared to save the drowning man. Who knew that man would repay kindness with enmity and reveal the deer's hiding place in exchange for wealth and honor? How can you blame the deer for not being cautious? It's all because that man broke his promise, which led to what happened later. Should everyone in the world just watch others die and not save them?"

Chu Shaoling listened to Wei Ji lecture him on benevolence, righteousness, and morality while smiling and leaning on the couch. In the end, he could only nod, "Yes, I was wrong."

Wei Ji vaguely felt that something was off with Chu Shaoling, but to him, whatever Chu Shaoling did or said should be right, even more important than an imperial edict. Wei Ji was a bit puzzled, so he brought up the story of Buddha cutting his own flesh to feed an eagle. Chu Shaoling really couldn't stand it. He laughed and interrupted, "Eagles are meant to eat meat. This..."

Seeing the disapproval in Wei Ji's eyes, Chu Shaoling had to change his words, "In the late spring of March, when the lambs frolic and the grass grows, in the cold and frozen earth, who feeds the wolves? Everyone pities the sheep, only the wolf's heart aches. The weak are prey to the strong, that is the law of nature. A piece of flesh from one's heart can only feed one eagle to save one dove. What about the other doves? Or should the other eagles endure and starve without eating meat? What then?"

When it came to specious reasoning, Wei Ji was naturally no match for Chu Shaoling. Wei Ji opened his mouth but couldn't find words to argue. He could only say, "What Buddha did must be right. Ordinary people naturally cannot do the same, they can only try their best to emulate. If they can't save all the doves, then save as many as they can. If they can't feed all the eagles, then feed as many as they can. I think..."

"Alright, alright, I was wrong." Chu Shaoling conceded defeat. He turned over and kissed Wei Ji on the head, chuckling, "So I just need to save you, this one dove."

Wei Ji blushed and couldn't say a word, allowing Chu Shaoling to be intimate with him for a while before softly saying, "Your Highness has too much hostility in your heart. A sword that is too rigid will easily break. I'm not good at lecturing others, I just fear that Your Highness will suffer losses because of this in the future."

Wei Ji was afraid Chu Shaoling would be unhappy. There was some timidity in his eyes. Chu Shaoling felt warmth in his heart. Fu Jinglun had said similar things, but Fu Jinglun didn't dare to advise to this extent, nor could he make him feel so comforted.

Chu Shaoling naturally understood the principles Wei Ji spoke of. The righteous way of heaven and earth was what he had learned since he was six years old and entered the Huixin Institute. However, Chu Shaoling had a rough life in both his previous and current lives, and that compassionate heart had long been ground to nothing.

Chu Shaoling hugged Wei Ji to his chest and gently rubbed him, softly saying, "Mm, I know. It'll be good to have you advising me in the future. Only then can I still listen to you talk about these grand beliefs and ceremonies."

Wei Ji agreed. He was lying on top of Chu Shaoling, the gold seal pressing against his chest. Wei Ji pulled the thin chain to take out the seal. The past few days, Chu Shaoling had specially asked the elderly and virtuous abbot of Donghua Temple to bless this seal. Wei Ji now cherished it and would often touch it from time to time.

Chu Shaoling appeared indifferent to Wei Ji, but in his heart, he still vaguely believed in it a little. However, he knew that with all the evil deeds he had done in this life, he probably couldn't obtain Buddha's blessing anymore. He only hoped that Buddha could protect his little bodyguard. Wei Ji had never done a single bad thing in his life and should surely enjoy a lifetime of peace and happiness.

In the Qingfeng Hall of Donghua Temple, the Empress Dowager was silently chanting scriptures. After hearing Granny Sun's words, the Empress Dowager smiled faintly, unexpectedly saying, "What's the big deal?"

Granny Sun was anxious in her heart and said, "Why doesn't the Empress Dowager take this seriously? When this servant first heard about it, my heart clenched. What does the Crown Prince want to do? Well, what made him think of..." Granny Sun found it a bit difficult to say and lowered her voice, "How could he fall in love with a man? And a bodyguard at that."

The Empress Dowager put down the prayer beads in her hand and said indifferently, "Ling'er is still young. He probably heard about this novel thing from somewhere and wanted to try it out. Besides, that what's-his-name, right, Wei Ji. I heard Ling'er mention him to me. You still remember the assassination incident during the ploughing ceremony, right?"

Granny Sun nodded, "How could I forget? The Crown Prince nearly suffered a loss."

The Empress Dowager smiled, "After returning from it, Ling'er told me about that person, saying he was injured for Ling'er's sake. I suppose it's because of this. He's just favoring a bodyguard, it's no big deal."

Granny Sun was still uneasy and whispered, "This servant just can't put her mind at ease. The Crown Prince mentioned the matter of the princess to the Empress Dowager, saying that Wei Zhan is the biological elder brother of this bodyguard. The Crown Prince's favor is no ordinary favor. Just these past few days, the Crown Prince has even been sleeping in the same bed as that bodyguard."

The Empress Dowager sighed softly and said, "You think I really don't know?" The Empress Dowager held onto Granny Sun's hand and sat up, moving to sit on the imperial chair. Granny Sun quickly brought over two armrests for the Empress Dowager to lean on. The Empress Dowager's waist was a bit sore from kneeling for half a day, so she could only lie down and slowly say, "Ling'er is hiding someone in Bitao Palace, showering him with affection. Could that be hidden from me?"

Granny Sun was puzzled and asked doubtfully, "Then why does the Empress Dowager..."

"What can I do? Execute that bodyguard?" The Empress Dowager smiled and took a sip of the tea Granny Sun handed over. "Not only would Ling'er hate me for life, he would never forget that person. Ling'er favors that bodyguard, but it doesn't hinder his fight for the crown prince position, nor does it hinder his participation in politics or his filial piety towards me. Why should I make things difficult for that bodyguard?"

The Empress Dowager sighed and continued, "Think about it carefully. Since the Empress passed away, has Ling'er truly been happy? His birth mother is gone, and you know how the Emperor treats Ling'er. As for Yang'er, he's heartless and never thinks to show consideration for his older brother. Ling'er's heart is filled with nothing but the struggle for the throne and power. What joy is there in such a life? The child is suffering inside, but he's too proud to tell anyone. Now, he finally has someone he likes, and that person is willing to indulge and let Ling'er mold him as he pleases. Only now does Ling'er have some semblance of life in him. I should be thanking that guard, not standing in their way!"

"Your wisdom is unparalleled, Empress Dowager," Madam Sun said, still finding it hard to accept. She hesitated, "But it's a pity that it's a man. It goes against the natural order of things and is not orthodox."

The Empress Dowager smiled, her expression even somewhat haughty. "Who is Ling'er? He is the one who will become the Emperor. The entire world will support him. As long as he doesn't make any major mistakes or overstep his bounds, Ling'er can do whatever he wants. Why should I let Ling'er suffer?"

Madam Sun was completely convinced. "It's truly rare for the Empress Dowager to be so understanding."

The Empress Dowager smiled faintly. She truly loved and doted on Chu Shaoling. Just as she said, as long as it didn't hinder Chu Shaoling's fight for the throne, what did these small matters count for? The Empress Dowager was happy to let Chu Shaoling find his happiness, even if this happiness was not very presentable. However, the Empress Dowager didn't believe that Chu Shaoling would always favor this guard. But many years later, the Empress Dowager wouldn't be able to see or control what happened.